The 39 Steps
THE 39 STEPS (U)
D: Alfred Hitchcock
Gaumont British (Ivor Montagu)
UK 1935
81 mins
Thriller/Comedy
W: Charles Bennett, Ian Hay & Alma
Reville [based on the novel by John Buchan]
DP: Bernard Knowles
Ed: Derek Twist
Mus: Louis Levy
Robert Donat (Richard
Hannay), Madeliene Carroll (The Airman), Godfrey Tearle (Prof. Jordan), Lucie Mannheim (Annabella), Peggy Ashcroft (Margaret), John Laurie (John), Wylie Watson (Mr.
Memory), Helen Hayes (Mrs. Jordan), Frank Cellier (Sheriff Watson)
Richard Hannay, a Canadian in London, meets a woman named
Annabella who is on the run from secret agents. He agrees to provide refuge for her in his flat, but when she is murdered he flees the scene, eludes the police, becomes handcuffed to a woman
he meets on a train and eventually takes a chase across Scotland to pursue the real villains.
The plot of the film may deviate from the original novel,
but this isn't necessarily a bad thing with film adaptations, especially with a great director like Alfred Hitchcock at the helm. Though it may be one of his earlier works, it has much of the
style and gimmickry that went on to serve him later in his career.
8/10
